Fret not Green Bay Packers fans, Oren Burks' pec injury isn't as bad as previously perceived. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the linebacker won't require surgery from the injury. He may avoid the injured reserve as a whole.
A second-year linebacker hailing from Vanderbilt, Burks played in 14 games for Green Bay as a rookie, starting four. He only played 122 snaps as a rookie, but much of that was due to a shoulder injury in the preseason. He tallied 23 combined tackles on the season.
Burks suffered the pec injury in the Packers' 28-26 Week 1 preseason win over the Houston Texans. The initial rumor was that he tore his pectoral in the first quarter, but the Packers downgraded it to a chest injury shortly after that. To replace Burks, the Packers gave undrafted rookie Curtis Bolton snaps.
Before the injury, Burks was primed to start alongside Blake Martinez in Green Bay's 3-4 defense. While that may happen later in the season, he'll likely be out for the rest of the preseason and the start of the regular season. In his place: rookie linebacker Ty Summers.
The Packers selected Summers out of TCU in the seventh-round of the 2019 NFL Draft. So far, the Pack have liked what they see. Through three weeks of preseason play, Summers leads the Packers in tackles (25). He posted two 10-tackle performances. Bolton and second-year James Crawford are also intriguing options.
In all, the Pack boasts one of the NFL's youngest inside linebacking units in the NFL. It is laden with potential, with Burks at the forefront of that group.
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